Twelfth-Point Minute

Many of you are members of a large, organized religion. You might be Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Jewish, or any one of a number of others. As you know, part of being a Boy Scout is having a belief in God. Every time you repeat the Scout Oath or Law, you reconfirm that you will do your duty to God, and that you are reverent. Keep in mind that some members of your patrol and troop might not belong to a regular church group. That doesn’t mean they don’t believe in a higher power. Native Americans believe that the Great Spirit is the life force that flows through all living things and controls the wind, fire, and the Earth. You might think of the Great Spirit as Mother Nature. Nature has created a world for its creatures that allows them to live and prosper, from the lowest insects to the mighty eagle. To me, that sounds like a higher power at work. It doesn’t matter to me how you believe in God— whether you attend church every week or simply respect the power of nature as the Native Americans do. But I can’t imagine how this world could have come to exist without God, and I don’t want to think about where it will go if he isn’t there to guide us.

Christmas Party, 17/12/07

5.55pm

Opening ceremony

6.00pm

Christmas game - The leader calls out different types of Christmas activity and the Beavers act the part.

6.10pm

Musical chairs – Christmas CD

6.25pm

Food and drinks (donations welcome)

6.40pm

Musical statues

6.55pm

Short prayer

Closing Ceremony

Hand out letters to parents

Christmas Cards, 12/12/07

5.55pm

Opening ceremony

6.00pm

Game: Who Am I?

A list of occupations

Leader calls out the name of jobs or occupations and the Beavers need to act out what they are. (i.e. A window cleaner, bus driver, traffic warden) If the game goes well, whisper an occupation to one Beaver at a time, and see if the others can guess what it is from the mime.

6.15pm

Make a Christmas card

Using crayons, card, glue, glitter etc., ask the Beavers to make a card for a member of their family with some congratulatory words inside.

6.30pm

Blanket game – Beavers run around room until whistle is blown, they curl up in a ball on the floor with their eyes closed. One beaver is covered with a blanket and the other Beavers guess who it is.

6.40pm

Dragons Tail – Beavers stand in circle and jump over bean bag tied to rope.

6.55pm

Short prayer

Closing Ceremony

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“Correcting bad habits cannot be done by forbidding or punishment.”

A Good Turn

Does anyone know when the Boy Scouts of America was started? It was the year 1910. Now for a tougher question: Who started the BSA? Not Baden-Powell. He started Scouting in England. It was an American businessman, William D. Boyce.

In 1909, William Boyce was wandering around London and got lost in a dense fog. A young boy found him and led him to his destination. The boy refused to accept a tip from Boyce, saying that he was a Boy Scout. That intrigued Boyce, and he later asked the boy to take him to meet Lord Baden-Powell.

Because of that meeting, Boy Scouts of America was officially organized in 1910, and there have been more than 93 million Americans involved in the BSA since then.

The Scout slogan is “Do a Good Turn Daily.” That is what the Boy Scout in 1909 did for William Boyce, and that is what you should always try to do, every day—a

Good Turn, without expecting reward.

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“Show me a poorly uniformed troop and I’ll show you a poorly uniformed leader.”

Bonfire Night, 05/11/07

5.55pm

Opening ceremony

6.00pm

Firework game: call out names of different fireworks and Beavers enact the actions

6.10pm

Sparklers (bring gloves and coat) – need bucket of water

6.25pm

Hot dogs and drinks

6.40pm

Bonfire night craft – to be confirmed

6.55pm

Short prayer

Closing Ceremony

Notes: Beavers are invited to bring a friend along next week, aged 6 or 7

The X Words

There are two X words that we use frequently in Boy Scouting—eXperience and eXample. You learn Scout skills by eXperience. We know that the way to learn is by doing. When we go on camping trips, you get the eXperience you need to master your skills. When you start to teach other Scouts what you know, you set the eXample. But much more important than teaching Scout skills is the eXample you set in your life. Do you always wear a clean uniform at Scout meetings? Are you careful with the language you use? Do you always finish your work before playing? Remember to think about the two X words every day.

Aeroplanes, 15/10/07

Chat about who has been in a plane, what was it like, where have they been, did they enjoy it etc etc

Craft – making planes

Light polystyrene planes, elastic bands, sellotape.  Will they fly?!

Try flying the planes

Will they fly and who’s will fly the furthest?

Game – corners

Hanger, runway, control tower, terminal

Name the different corners after different parts of an airport.  The Beavers “fly” around, arms outstretched listening to commands from “air traffic control” (leader).  If “change flight path” is called they need to fly in the opposite direction

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“The more responsibility the Scoutmaster gives his patrol leaders, the more they will respond.”